Arsène Wenger Prepared To Listen To Offers For Jack Wilshere

Arsène Wenger has admitted he will listen to offers for Jack Wilshere after telling the midfielder he cannot guarantee him game time. Wilshere, who spent last season’s Premier League campaign on loan at Bournemouth, will be looking to make England’s World Cup squad and Wenger says his minutes may be limited at Arsenal.

It’s likely any deal for Wilshere would be a season-long loan, however, the 25-year-old has entered the final year of his contract at the Emirates.

Speaking in his press conference, the Frenchman said: “I’m open with Jack. We have honest conversations. I’m open to what is the best for him. He is at the stage of his career where he needs to play and I can’t guarantee him that today. I think I’m quite open on that.”

“If he gets back to his best and wants to stay, we have to sit down later in the season. I don’t rule that out,” he revealed. “You know how much I love Jack and his talent but today, in the football world, you need to be a consistent presence.

“What is at stake for Jack is not his quality, his talent or his determination – it is whether he is a consistent presence at the top. I hope he can manage to do that. Nobody questions his quality.”

The Arsenal manager was then questioned on Wilshere’s red card he received whilst playing for the Under-23’s in an attempt to regain his fitness. The Englishman pushed one Manchester City to the ground before raising his hand to another’s face and in return was dismissed, but Wenger says he understands Wilshere’s reasoning for losing his temper: “At my stage and with my experience in football, I understand his reaction, especially with what happened to him [injuries].”

“Ideally, he should not have responded at all but when you have gone through what he has gone through, with bad tackles, it was a human reaction. At the moment, Jack is working very hard to come back after his fracture and another setback would be terrible. It was a bad tackle.”